fanliterary

Fanliterary refers to literary works created by fans that expand, reinterpret, or respond to existing fictional worlds, characters, or authors. These works are typically derivative and non-commercial, produced for personal enjoyment and shared within a fandom. The term covers fanfiction, poetry, alternate narratives, scripts, and other forms that place familiar settings in new contexts.

Practices include tagging and metadata to signal characters, relationships, genres, and content warnings; writing in forms such as modern or historical alternate universes, crossovers, or retellings. Works are distributed through online archives and communities such as Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.net, and Wattpad, as well as social media and fan-made zines. Some creators publish fanliterary with permission or as official tie-ins, but most participate in a voluntary, non-professional culture that values collaboration and consent.

Legal and ethical considerations vary by jurisdiction and rights holders. Fanworks generally rely on informal norms rather than formal licensing; copyright owners may tolerate, restrict, or pursue takedowns. Communities often emphasize respect for original creators, inclusive representation, and clear content warnings; peer critique and beta reading are common.

Historically, fanliterary has roots in early fan communities around Sherlock Holmes and science fiction, with online archives in the 1990s and 2000s expanding participation and visibility. The phenomenon has influenced mainstream media, with some creators acknowledging fan ideas or drawing on fan communities when developing official material.

Related topics include fan fiction, derivative works, and intellectual property in fandom.